Monday, July 23, 2012

Mascot Monday: Hound-priests of the Vicelords

This entry is a thematic follow-up to the previous post regarding dogfolk.

From time to time, particular dogfolk rise to prominence in the Wampus Country, either through their noble or nefarious deeds.  One such case is that of two dogs from the same litter who have come into wealth and some measure of fame by virtue of their devotion to their gods; these are the Hound-priests of the Vicelords.

The Vicelords, as most are familiar, are tutelary spirits of decadence and consumption - demon-angels of alcohol, tobacco, gambling, greed, and envy.  These Lords of Vice are unnumbered and typically referred to in the plural, as a group.  They have had many mortal servitors across the ages - panderers, hedonists, purveyors of zymurgical sorcery, and the like.  But perhaps none are so unusual as this pair of Hound-priests.  Both are dogfolk, possibly of distant Boxtoon extraction, but sharing the long snout, white coat, and small eyes typical of their immediate family line; and both are favored clerics of Vice.

Reverend Tater (Chaotic cleric 6) celebrates the Vicelords though excess; he is often drunk and throws lavish parties which feature binge-drinking, drinking games, gambling, and orgiastic revels.  Known throughout River-Town for these affairs, the Reverend Tater has a sprawling network of contacts, including both legitimate businesspersons and criminal enterprises.  He has made himself a thorn in the side of the Scorpion Cult, often sauntering into their casino (the Silver Scorpion) on a Saturday night and drawing a crowd by means of his celebrity; he then "moves the party" elsewhere, taking scores of customers with him.  He has a dark patch over his left ('sinister') eye.  Tater can cast any of the alcohol-related spells from The Arcane Abecediary as cleric spells of the same level.

Reverend Sureshot (Chaotic cleric 5) elects to worship the Vicelords through consumerism and profit; greed is both his motive and his chief weapon.  Sureshot maintains a small inner circle of merchant-cultists, each of whom is sworn to "The Goal" - an esoteric self-help concept suggesting that a business can also be a man and an idea simultaneously.  It is Sureshot's dollars which Tater often spends; the less-public brother may also be the brains of the operation.  He is well-known as both venture capitalist and ruthless loan shark, and occasionally butts heads with the cultgang known as 'the Smileys'.  Reverend Sureshot's coat is purest white, but he has crimson circles, a cultic symbol, tattooed and painted around his left eye.

RUMORS REGARDING THE HOUND-PRIESTS (d6)
1 - It only seems like there are two of 'em.  Really, there are seven, and the other five are in hiding, biding their time...
2 - Reverend Sureshot takes on dog form as a convenience; in private, he is a massive, winged monstrosity with slavering fangs and cloven hooves.
3 - If Tater bites you while you're drunk, you wake up as some kinda were-dog.
4 - Reverend Tater ain't really a priest - he sold his doggie soul to some devil or another in exchange for popularity and legendary boudoir skills.
5 - The hound-priests both have the ability to summon wolves out of the air - wolves made of dollars!
6 - Sureshot is already planning to become a lich.

Reverend Tater, in the midst of one of his epic parties.
Reverend Sureshot stands triumphant on a carpet stained with the fresh blood of cult-sacrifices.
Tater prepares to execute a callgirl who has seen too much.




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